In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 116

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 116

“Hmm….”

Cleribane, looking at the check, let out a groan-like sound and grabbed his head.

“How can they be so identical?”

Violet rubbed her wide-open eyes several times.

I completely agreed with her words a hundred times over.

From the outside, it was impossible to distinguish which one was real.

In my previous life, when the forged check incident occurred, I was locked away in my room alone, spending gloomy times.

Later, while helping Grandfather and looking back at Lombardi’s past affairs, I only knew through knowledge that such an incident had happened around this time.

So this was the first time I was seeing a forged check with my own eyes.

“Whoever it is, they made it disgustingly identical.”

I muttered while glaring at the check.

No good words could come out.

The person who made that forged check was clearly stealing from Lombardi.

Moreover, a bank’s asset is trust.

To deliver such a direct hit to Lombardi Bank’s money and credibility like this.

Bad bastard.

I glared at the check placed on the table, then turned my head to ask Beit, who was sitting comfortably with his back against the sofa.

“But how did you get the forged check? It hasn’t been widely circulated yet, so it couldn’t have been easy.”

Probably even the Lombardi Bank president had only identified a few.

But Beit had obtained one of them.

“…That’s a trade secret.”

Answering like that, Beit slightly averted his gaze.

“I suppose it would be.”

I backed down cleanly.

Asking an information broker about their sources.

“I was rude.”

But Beit was staring at me intently.

“What is it, Beit?”

“You’re not pressing further?”

“Beit already said it. That it’s a trade secret. So what more is there to ask?”

“But in any case, Lady Pirenthia is someone who sponsors our Caramel Avenue….”

He was saying that if I wanted, I could grab the purse strings and shake them to force an answer out of him.

“I want the relationship between Caramel Avenue and myself to continue healthily for a long time.”

Threatening Beit just to hear this one thing would be like cutting open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs.

Moreover, in this current situation, Beit had too much to lose to betray me.

What Beit needed was a stable foundation to grow his information guild, not the meager money he could get from forgers.

“…Thank you.”

Beit’s lips were slightly relaxed as he nodded and spoke.

“It’s really amazing!”

While I was having a conversation with Beit, Violet, who had been examining the check more carefully, spoke with half admiration.

Then, as if realizing something, she quickly added while watching my reaction.

“Th, that is, what I mean is that for a forger, their skill is good….”

“I know what you’re trying to say, Violet.”

“Are you alright, Lady Pirenthia?”

I felt sorry that Violet was concerned about my low mood, but it couldn’t be helped.

“I’m a bit angry.”

“We’ll be able to catch the forger somehow.”

“The forger is one thing, but….”

In the end, Biejie failed to prevent the situation from worsening this time as well.

In my previous life, the forged checks eventually spread uncontrollably.

The damage amount was astronomical.

By the time Biejie grasped the situation and tried to handle it, it was already too late, and Grandfather, who was lying in his sickbed, eventually had to take drastic measures.

‘Immediately create checks with a new design to exchange for the old checks, and Lombardi will bear all losses caused by the forged checks.’

Realistically, it was impossible to detect forged checks at bank counters, so it was unavoidable.

“Stupid fool….”

Stopping the issuance of checks, creating a new design for checks, and deciding how to handle losses from forged checks was beyond Grodic Brey’s authority.

It was something that required the Lord of Lombardi to step forward.

Then Beit added more words.

“Ah, and there’s one more thing. They say Grodic Brey went to see Lady Shannet.”

“As expected.”

People’s thoughts seemed to be similar.

Since Biejie was desperately making a mess, the judgment was that Shannet was the only one who could stop it.

It was a change that occurred because Shannet, who would have been down at a resort after the divorce in my previous life, had now confidently returned and begun taking care of family affairs.

Cleribane muttered while looking at the forged check again.

“It would be really great if we could find a way to distinguish the forgeries. And if we could tell Lady Shannet that method….”

“Shall we try holding it up to sunlight?”

Violet picked up the two checks and examined them from various angles.

But she couldn’t find any differences at all.

“There must be some difference….”

Cleribane was also frowning and lost in thought.

Then he suddenly asked me in a low voice.

“Could it possibly be someone inside Lombardi Bank? If they’re this identical, I wonder if they might have stolen checks made in the same place.”

It was a reasonable deduction.

“That really could be possible.”

Violet and Beit also nodded.

Betrayal by a Lombardi insider.

This was actually the most likely hypothesis when searching for the culprit of this forged check incident.

However, that wasn’t it.

The culprit was simply someone with very excellent forgery skills.

“What should we do if that’s really the case….”

Seeing Violet’s confusion, I thought it was time to reveal the answer.

“Beit, you have matches, right?”

“Yes, I do, but.”

“Take them out.”

At my words, Beit tilted his head and took out a box of matches from his pocket.

“Try burning the check with that.”

“Pardon?”

“Go ahead.”

At my absurd request, Beit looked at Cleribane and Violet.

But there was no wavering in their eyes.

They completely trusted my judgment.

“…Understood.”

Beit gulped and swallowed hard, then carefully struck a match and set fire to the check.

“Huh? Wha…?”

The checks that had definitely looked identical on the outside burned with different colored flames—one with red flames, the other with blue flames.

“Th, this is strange?”

Beit blew out a puff of air to quickly extinguish the flame, then struck another match to light it again.

This time, the result was the same.

“That’s how you distinguish between real and fake.”

It was a method I had finally discovered in my previous life during the process of destroying the counterfeit checks that Lombardi Bank employees had collected, unable to find a way to distinguish them.

Well, by the time I figured it out, it was already too late.

“How, how did you know?”

Beit asked me with widened eyes.

His wide amber pupils were filled with excitement.

I looked straight at Beit and told him with a smiling face.

“Trade secret.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Trade. Secret.”

“Ah…”

Beit made a dejected expression as if his ears were drooping down.

It really was a trade secret that I could never reveal.

I left Beit alone and looked at Cleribane.

“Cleribane.”

“Yes, Lady Pirenthia.”

His eyes sparkled as he looked at me.

“Please tell Shannet about the method I just showed you.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

“Since you need to go as soon as possible, Violet, don’t forget to take out ‘that thing’ from the Lombardi Bank vault and give it to Cleribane.”

“Yes, Lady Pirenthia. I’ll go right after the meeting ends.”

“And Beit, I have a favor to ask.”

At my words, Beit, who had been spacing out, startled awake.

“Please investigate someone. The name is…”

At my sudden request to investigate someone, Beit tilted his head.

“That’s not difficult. But…”

Beit, who was about to say something, suddenly stopped and looked at Cleribane and Violet.

Then, as if some thought occurred to him, he nodded firmly.

Beit’s appearance resembled Cleribane and Violet in some way.

* * *

That evening.

Shannet visited the Head Family’s Office with a stern face.

Knock knock.

“Biejie, may I come in for a moment?”

She had deliberately timed it after asking the butler when all schedules would be finished.

And after a moment, Biejie’s answer came.

“…Come in.”

It was a somewhat suspicious answer, but Shannet didn’t think much of it.

Until she saw Ceral sitting on the sofa in the study.

“You’ve come.”

As if they had been enjoying tea together in the study, Ceral’s expression wasn’t very good at having their intimate time interrupted.

“I’m sorry about this. I have something I want to discuss with Biejie.”

“…Discuss?”

Instead of Ceral, Biejie asked back with somewhat thorny words.

“What could you possibly have to discuss with me, the acting head?”

“…Could you two talk privately?”

Even at Biejie’s harsh retort, as if his pride was hurt, Shannet answered calmly.

However, Biejie glanced at Ceral once, then spoke in a sullen voice.

“There’s no conversation I can’t have in front of my wife. What is it you want to say?”

It was Biejie’s tone that had become quite unpleasant since becoming acting head.

“…Well, I heard fake checks are circulating lately. Do you know anything about this matter?”

“Fake checks?”

Biejie frowned deeply.

“Did that bank manager bastard go to you to tattle?”

“It’s not like that…”

“How dare he, when I’m the acting head?”

Biejie jumped up from his seat and shouted.

“…Biejie, calm down and listen to what I’m saying…”

“Why should I listen to you when you dare to ignore the authority of acting head that Father gave me!”

“…Dare?”

A subtle anger began to seep into Shannet’s voice as well.

“Father temporarily entrusted you with the head’s position, but that doesn’t mean you should wield that authority as you please and play at being head, Biejie.”

“Play at being head? I’m faithfully performing my duties! You’re no longer in a position to order me around!”

“I don’t know what position you think acting head is in your mind, but one thing is clear. You don’t understand at all how serious this counterfeit check matter is. You foolish boy.”

“Watch your words! Even if you’re my sister, you can’t be so rude to me as acting head! I’m here in Father’s place right now!”

Shannet felt dizzy from the frustration, as if she were talking to a wall.

All Biejie cared about was the authority and rights as head.

She could tell from how the conversation kept going in circles even when she brought up the counterfeit checks.

“What’s so important about a few fake checks! Aren’t you the one who’s obsessing over trivial matters and failing to separate public from private?”

Biejie snorted and said.

“Are you that jealous that I became acting head? It’s obvious you’re trying to find fault like this just to interfere with my work!”

Shannet let out a hollow laugh.

Biejie truly believed that the circulation of counterfeit checks was a trivial matter.

And to such a Biejie, Shannet was nothing more than a malicious troublemaker.

“…Yes, Biejie. My expectations of you were too high.”

Shannet left with only those words and turned around.

She could hear Biejie and Ceral’s laughter behind her, but Shannet didn’t look back.

She was planning to visit Father first thing tomorrow morning.

Returning home with a cold heart, Shannet discovered someone waiting for her at the door.

“Lady Shannet, though it’s late, could we talk for a moment?”

The person greeting her politely with a smile on his handsome face was Cleribane Pellet.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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